Sidekicks
by rosexknight
Summary: Rumbelle Superheroes AU. Upon registering as a Superhero, Belle finds herself the partner of Rumpelstiltskin, an odd man with the inherant ability to make any sort of deal or terrible scenario go his way. With Belle's powers as an Empath, they seem like the perfect team...Until Belle goes on a blind date with someone who looks REALLY familiar.
1. Chapter 1

Sidekicks

By: RosexKnight

 _Anon prompted: Rumbelle "i'm the superhero's sidekick and you're the superhero but i don't know that and we both met on an online dating website and you look really familiar?"_

Chapter One

The date was going well. Amazingly well. Belle couldn't remember the last time a date had gone this well.

The man she'd been talking to on the online dating website who she'd only known as his screen name "Sp1nning-G0ld" was now sitting across from her in one of the fancier restaurants in Storybrooke. She was amazed that someone so seemingly wealthy had come to live in a middle-of-nowhere town but she liked it, finding it quite quaint. The man himself who she now knew as Mr. Gold ("Just Gold will do just fine dearie") seemed to be perfectly confident until he'd actually seen her, and it took him a moment to be able to speak coherently enough to give her the roses he'd gotten. But they had soon fallen into an easy conversation about books and antiques and the printing press of all things.

He had a thick Scottish brogue, which she found much more attractive than she liked to admit, and was dressed in a three-piece suit, something she'd known about him from their online talks. Luckily, she'd thought ahead and wore a shimmering gold dress as to not make him stand out like he normally did.  
There was something about him though. Something familiar about his eyes that she couldn't place.

"Are you alright?" He asked, and Belle blinked, realizing she'd been staring.

"Yes! Sorry I just thought there was something familiar about you. Don't worry about it?"

He tilted his head, and Belle could feel the confusion from him, possibly with a hint of curiosity. She pushed the thoughts aside, keeping her power in check. She wouldn't let them get in the way. Not this time.

He opened his mouth as if to speak but at the same time a beeping rang from her purse. She groaned internally as she reached for it, knowing ahead of time exactly what it was and hating every bit of it.

"You have a beeper?" He asked, chuckling slightly.

Belle gave him a genuine smile. "It's for business. My boss insists it's quicker…"

She glanced at the words scrolling across the screen "Roof Signal 911." God why did it have to be tonight?!

"I…" She stammered, half tempted to let her partner take care of it so she could enjoy her perfect date. "Something's come up. I promise I'm not running out on you this has been a wonderful night! It's just work and it's an emergency…"

"I understand, Belle." Gold said. She couldn't read him for a moment, but then he leaned forward and squeezed her hand and she didn't need her empathic powers to know he was telling the truth. "I'll call you later?"

"Yes! Please. Thank you." She stood, crossing the table to give him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Gold. Next time we'll have a full date. I promise."

"It's a deal, then."

And with a smile Belle was off, vowing that whatever reason had drug her away from him was getting a pummeling with her shoe.

Her partner was on the roof before she was, standing coolly by the spotlight that signaled they were needed. Superheroes were not terribly uncommon, and between Runpelstiltskin's penchant for manipulation and uncanny power of persuasion and her powers to read and influence emotions their athletic ability almost never came into the scenario. It was too bad he was an unbearable clod.

"You're late, dearie." He said.

"Sorry." She frowned, straightening the black mask covering her eyes. "I wasn't exactly planning to be out here tonight."

"Ah yes big night making quirks to the Dewey Decimal System?"

"For your information, I had a date."

"Oh lord the poor man. I hope you didn't bore him with talks of fairy tales and nonsense."

Belle rolled her eyes, not in the mood for this tonight. If it weren't for the city and those living in it, she would have dissolved this partnership long ago.

She came to stand beside his spot overlooking the skyline. "Yes well some can appreciate those things."

Rumpelstiltskin snorted. "Or some are just manipulating you to get what you want. Honestly with powers like ours how could you be so naive you silly girl?"

"You can't know what's in a person's heart unless you truly know them!" She snapped. "Just because your heart is black as night doesn't mean everyone's is!"

His head snapped to her, and Belle his eyes made her breath hitch. He'd long since learned to build a mental barrier against her power, but Belle could still see his eyes behind his mask. They were hurt and yet pleading. His eyes…

"Wait." She squeaked. Recognition flashed but he turned away.

"We have work to do." And then he was moving, walking to the roof exit where an elevator waited to take them down into the depths of the city and their assignment.

How on earth had she not seen it before?

"Rumpelstiltskin!" She called. "Wait!"


	2. Chapter 2

Sidekicks

By: RosexKnight

 _ashadeofpemberly asked: How long have you been working with Rumpelstiltskin? How did you two meet?_

Chapter Two

"Belle, this is your new partner, Rumpelstiltskin."

The man standing before her didn't look like a man at all. His skin was almost…scaly as it shimmered in the light of the office. He was dressed oddly, like something out of medieval times. She glanced at Regina (No not Regina here. The Queen), but the woman didn't notice her as she closed a folder and turned to her new partner.

"Belle is an Empath. I thought you two would make a good match."

"Isn't that more of your mother's department?"

"The Queen of Hearts has tried to find you a partner multiple times. And Hatter isn't fit for this anymore and bowed out of the society." Rumpelstiltskin didn't seem fazed by her. Regina sighed. "You know the rules. You have to have a partner. It's Belle now. I suggest you get along with her."

Belle's brows furrowed as she looked to him for a moment. Normally, she could inherently feel anything someone was feeling. It was a subconsious thing. This one, this Rumpelstiltskin, was different. She couldn't read him at all.

"You'll need a new costume. Just a mask won't do at all." He said with a sing-song voice.

"Sorry I didn't have any dragonhide handy." Belle said. "I'll try and remedy that, yeah?"

Rumpelstiltskin only chuckled, but seemed like he wanted to say something else. However, he was cut off by The Queen clearing her throat.

"Here, Belle." She said, sliding a paper across her desk to her. "This is the contract we agreed on. Sign it and you're officially his partner.

Belle would have been lying if she didn't admit she was having second thoughts, but something compelled her to take the pen from The Queen. Something about him was intriguing, and she liked that.

"No take-backs." He said before the tip of the pen could touch the contract. "You sign that and it's permanent. Sign that and it's forever, dearie."

Belle only smirked, signing her name in elegant script. She couldn't tell if he was happy or annoyed at that, but she didn't care as she gave him a grin. "I guess that goes the same for you eh, dearie?"


	3. Chapter 3

Sidekicks

By: RosexKnight

 _ashadeofpemberly asked: Did you ever catch up to Rumpel after you realized who he was?_

Chapter Three

"I said wait dammit!" Belle was practically screaming by the time she got to the elevator.

Rumpelstiltskin held out a hand to her, and she immediately froze in place out of sheer habit from the familiar gesture.

"Go home, Belle." He said, his voice unreadable.

She couldn't read any emotion coming off of him. Even his eyes slipped into an indifferent stare. She suddenly very much hated the mental blocks he was able to put up. If they could only talk…

"No." She said firmly, laying her hand on the door of the elevator to keep it from shutting her out. "We have to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Bloody hell there isn't! You can't DO that to me! You can't just lead me on and make me like you as Gold and shut me out as Rumpelstiltskin!"

"I'm not having this discussion now." His voice was firm, giving her no room to question anything. "Go home. I can handle tonight on my own."

"We have to talk about this!"

"There's nothing to talk about. My heart is black, remember? No need to worry. I'll be sure to have you a new partner by the end of the week and then you won't have to deal with me and I won't have to see you again."

Belle fumed, a pang of guilt mixing with her anger. She shouldn't have called his heart black. From what he'd shown her from his other self it wasn't black at all. It was big and bright and full. He had no right to be upset with her when he was two completely different people by night and day. He had no right to lead her on like that.

She didn't want a new partner. "You stupid, ridiculous man!"

"Home, Belle." He said, and before she was able to react to anything else the elevator was closing, and he was gone.

"Dammit!" She cried, pounding on the closed door, jamming the button so hard she thought it would break. "Rumpelstiltskin come back! Rumple!" Her knees gave out without her consent, and before she knew it she was trembling. "Please…"

Hurt washed over her, and it took her a moment to realize it wasn't her's. It was his. Her chest ached as she held onto the emotion, letting it wrap around her like a blanket. He was hurt. He was hurt and she'd done that. But that wasn't fair. They were both in the wrong here.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. The small room was empty, and she stepped inside, wrapping her hands around herself to shield from her intermingling feelings, unable to even tell where his ended and hers began. Anger was mixed in everywhere, and it suddenly occurred to Belle that he probably didn't want her there because there was no telling what he was going to do to tonight's unlucky criminal.

The doors closed, and she was only vaguely aware of herself pushing the button for the first floor. There was no point in trying to catch up with him. She had no idea where the crime even was.

Home. He'd told her to go home.

Right now, Storybrooke felt very much like home. She could go see Ruby. Stay with her. And if she just so happened to find him there, at a pawn shop or a salmon house, then he'd have no choice.


	4. Chapter 4

Sidekicks  
By: RosexKnight

 _Anon asked: How are Superhero belle and rum doing?_

Chapter Four

"I thought I told you to go home."

"You didn't specify which one. Storybrooke is a home to me."

"You knew which I meant."

"And you knew we need to talk."

Belle had been in Storybrooke for three days. At first, she hadn't seen hide or hair of Rumpelstiltskin, or Mr. Gold as she knew him here. But on the third day the Caddilac was outside The Pawn Shop, and against her better judgement she went in, the bell above the door announcing her entrance and feeling very foreboding.

There was a tense pause between them. Belle didn't reach out with her powers, didn't want to risk scaring him off when he felt them. Didn't want to give him the chance to manipulate things into his favor the way his powers let him. Finally, he sighed, looking to her.

"What is there to talk about? I made it quite clear our partnership was over, Miss French."

"I'm not leaving it like that." Belle said stubbornly, stepping towards the counter. "Rule one is take care of your partner. We have to fix things."

"No we don't." Gold said simply. "You simply have to accept the fact that it's over."

"No!" Belle slammed her hands on the counter. Gold's eyes flickered to them, but he didn't flinch. "You don't get to do that! You don't get to take me on dates and bring me flowers and then throw it all in my face when I discover the truth!"

"Oh, you made the truth quite clear, dearie." He said, his tone still even. Belle hated him for that. "You're far too emotional, Belle. So much so that you let it seep out. You showed how you felt that night, and made it perfectly clear which side of me you prefer."

"Is that what this is about?! You think I couldn't love Mr. Gold as much as I love Rumpelstiltskin?"

His eyes met hers, and she was confused to find them almost…hostile. Like a hurt animal lashing out. She'd said the wrong things. Let her tongue slip and reveal her true feelings, just as he said.

"Rumple…"

"Go home. Belle."

"No!" She snapped, but he was already turning to leave. "We've been partners for three years you can't expect me to give that up because of this."

Without thinking, she caught his wrist. She gasped at what she felt. Pain, hurt, betrayal, love, happiness, hatred, all mixed into one mass flowed through her, stealing her breath. Tears welled in her eyes, but she willed them back. All this was was a battle of wills. She simply had to let him feel how wrong she was. She took a deep breath, and focused on nothing but good memories of him, of them, letting the love flow through her, praying that this time, maybe, he wouldn't block her out.


End file.
